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For years now, Apple's biggest competitor is Apple from five years ago. One of their biggest threats is that sales flatline because people are still using their

For years now, Apple's biggest competitor is Apple from five years ago. One of their biggest threats is that sales flatline because people are still using their perfectly good laptops and phones from several years ago. And that's a hard problem to deal with when you advertise your products as high-end goods that will last a long time.

zacmps 3y ago
This shouldn't be a problem, and the answer is to refresh devices less frequently.
- aroman 3y ago
  It objectively is a problem for Apple as a corporation though, as they are expected by their shareholders to to continue to grow and increase profits year over year.
  - Cthulhu_ 3y ago
    Only in a modern capitalist society etc etc. One thing Apple diversified in in the past years is its non-hardware offering; iCloud earns them billions and Apple TV is churning out massive productions, a 3.5 hour Scorsese flick in cinemas for example.
- orthoxerox 3y ago
  The whole company is sized to a specific revenue stream, and this revenue stream requires a specific sales volume. Apple could get off Mr. Bones' wild ride, but this would require remaking how the whole company works: - less frequent laptop releases mean lower sales (do you want this 2020 Mac or this 2023 Dell?) - lower sales mean lower revenue, lower revenue means lower costs - so now Apple has to spend less on R&D and at the same time convince its board of directors that lower sales don't mean Apple is failing
- tonyedgecombe 3y ago
  Why would they do that? It wouldn't solve the problem @rueeeeru stated. They need to remain competitive and you can't do that by sitting on your backside for four or five years between products.
anentropic 3y ago
They have solved this though by periodically introducing incompatible macOS updates, so that eventually you can no longer install the current macOS and then after a while you won't be able to install latest version of applications and you start to feel stronger need to upgrade...
- wilg 3y ago
  Six year OS support, plus security updates past that.
  - hot_gril 3y ago
    Not as long as Windows support but still good enough.
wildrhythms 3y ago
I have family still using the 2017 Macbook Airs, happily. A year ago I replaced the battery on two of them (from OWC which still offers high quality ones). Every year I ask them if they want to upgrade to a new model Macbook and they refuse. Meanwhile I have other family on Chromebooks that they've had to replace twice already because they are too slow, or the hinges on the screen have worn out, or the charging port got too annoyingly loose.

zacmps 3y ago

This shouldn't be a problem, and the answer is to refresh devices less frequently.

aroman 3y ago
It objectively is a problem for Apple as a corporation though, as they are expected by their shareholders to to continue to grow and increase profits year over year.
- Cthulhu_ 3y ago
  Only in a modern capitalist society etc etc. One thing Apple diversified in in the past years is its non-hardware offering; iCloud earns them billions and Apple TV is churning out massive productions, a 3.5 hour Scorsese flick in cinemas for example.
orthoxerox 3y ago
The whole company is sized to a specific revenue stream, and this revenue stream requires a specific sales volume. Apple could get off Mr. Bones' wild ride, but this would require remaking how the whole company works: - less frequent laptop releases mean lower sales (do you want this 2020 Mac or this 2023 Dell?) - lower sales mean lower revenue, lower revenue means lower costs - so now Apple has to spend less on R&D and at the same time convince its board of directors that lower sales don't mean Apple is failing
tonyedgecombe 3y ago
Why would they do that? It wouldn't solve the problem @rueeeeru stated. They need to remain competitive and you can't do that by sitting on your backside for four or five years between products.

anentropic 3y ago

They have solved this though by periodically introducing incompatible macOS updates, so that eventually you can no longer install the current macOS and then after a while you won't be able to install latest version of applications and you start to feel stronger need to upgrade...

wilg 3y ago
Six year OS support, plus security updates past that.
- hot_gril 3y ago
  Not as long as Windows support but still good enough.

wildrhythms 3y ago

I have family still using the 2017 Macbook Airs, happily. A year ago I replaced the battery on two of them (from OWC which still offers high quality ones). Every year I ask them if they want to upgrade to a new model Macbook and they refuse. Meanwhile I have other family on Chromebooks that they've had to replace twice already because they are too slow, or the hinges on the screen have worn out, or the charging port got too annoyingly loose.